The inevitability principle in politics is the fallacy that once democracy takes hold in an area, it will continue to flourish and spread. Democracies do not go backwards, or so the theory goes. Once people have tasted freedom, and have the education and resources to enjoy it, they will never want to go backwards. They will never slide back into authoritarianism or totalitarianism. No matter how dire things get, they will always work out somehow.
We only need to look at modern history to see how fallacious that theory is. In truth, democracy is always fragile, because it depends on millions of people being able to coordinate their wills and desires, to decide what’s worth fighting for and which battles can be deferred for another time. All too often, without careful tending and nurturance, democracies fall apart. People can fall under the sway of a charismatic leader who promises them the moon but delivers nothing except his own aggrandizement.
What we learn from modern political history is that every vote matters. Every decision matters. We cannot just sit back and hope that others will do the work of tending to democracy. We need to pay attention to elections on every level. When we don’t, rot sets in and unscrupulous people seize power.
What is true in the political sense is also true in the spiritual sense. For generations, we believed we were on an inexorable path to Redemption. Yes, it was our job to pray and have faith that G-d would redeem us. But we didn’t feel a personal responsibility to prepare the world for Redemption. We relied on our leaders and righteous people to do that for us.
In our generation, all that has changed. In 1991, the Lubavitcher Rebbe gave his famous “Do all you can” address. He said, “What more can I do to motivate the entire Jewish people to clamor and cry out, and thus actually bring about the coming of Moshiach? All that has been done until now has been to no avail… All I can possibly do is give the matter over to you. Now, do everything you can to bring Moshiach, here and now, immediately.”
That talk of the Rebbe inspired a complete revolution. We realized for the first time that it really was up to us. The Rebbe not only handed us a mission; he inspired and empowered us to do it ourselves. We began to realize how important every action of ours can be; how every decision we make has far-reaching consequences. In the words of Maimonides, “Each person should imagine himself and the world as perfectly balanced between good and evil. With one good deed, the scale is tipped and he saves himself and the entire world.”
This in no way is meant to terrify us into doom and gloom scenarios. On the contrary—it gives us the motivation we need to carry out our mission, to bring positive, spiritual energy to the world and transform it into a place that G-d can call home. ■